View Full Version : March start - Weather in which i'd be facing?
I've had this planed for awhile, brother bailed on our plans and i'm looking to rock this NOBO solo ...
Date i've picked is march 1st to board amtrak to gainesville .. then stay at the hiker hostel and their services and start march 3rd ... I've seen advice on pick a date and go, i'm gonna hike in it anyway ... So the question is, what sort of weather does the first of march thru hiker in georgia experiance ? ... I know patches of snow/sleet/rain ... but i'm talkin the normal, not the 8 feet snow storms every 20 years type of thing ... Just wanna make sure i'm ready, so any advice is taken and processed. Failure is not an option.
max patch
11-28-2011, 22:48
You need to prepare for single digit temps at nite so bring a zero degree bag. You'll almost certainly walk in a cold rain. You may or may not get snow in GA. If you do it certainly won't be 8 feet. Snow in the GSMNP may very well be deep. Make sure you have enough money for extra hotel stays because of weather. By starting so early be prepared to finish before the colors change in New England which will be a shame.
I've had this planed for awhile, brother bailed on our plans and i'm looking to rock this NOBO solo ...
Date i've picked is march 1st to board amtrak to gainesville .. then stay at the hiker hostel and their services and start march 3rd ... I've seen advice on pick a date and go, i'm gonna hike in it anyway ... So the question is, what sort of weather does the first of march thru hiker in georgia experiance ? ... I know patches of snow/sleet/rain ... but i'm talkin the normal, not the 8 feet snow storms every 20 years type of thing ... Just wanna make sure i'm ready, so any advice is taken and processed. Failure is not an option.Expect and be prepared for cold to very cold conditions. Once you begin to gain elevation in North Carolina, severe weather could easily be possible. Prepare to bail if necessary, having plenty of dough set aside for motels, etc...is wise. Daytime temperatures may be decent, but nightime can easily be nasty at that time of the year. Have fun:sun.
johnnybgood
11-28-2011, 23:01
Hope for the best but prepare for the worst ... anything possible that can happen will happen.... Any more catchy cliches ?
FWIW , the long range forecast is for a wet but mild S.E this winter.
You need to prepare for single digit temps at nite so bring a zero degree bag. You'll almost certainly walk in a cold rain. You may or may not get snow in GA. If you do it certainly won't be 8 feet. Snow in the GSMNP may very well be deep. Make sure you have enough money for extra hotel stays because of weather. By starting so early be prepared to finish before the colors change in New England which will be a shame.
Well, lets say i wanted to see those colors change in new england and maine ... what date should i shoot for? .. or i could just take ya know, 30 zero's in 90 days and even it out .. =P lol .. seriously tho, thats something i'd like to see ...
I started March 15th. The first day it rained but then had a crazy heat wave for almost a week. When I hit the Smokeys nighttime temperatures were in the low to mid 20's and even had a rime ice event.
Yea.. it's pretty funny to be a Californian wandering around thinking how beautiful the ice laden branches look and then have the morning sun dislodge them on my happy self for an hour after!
I went from "it's so beautiful!!" to "holy crap dude.. lookout!".
The folks i passed that started in early March had a lot more cold nights than me.
I was able to get away with a 30 degree Mountain Laurel Designs Spirit quilt combined with my Montebell thermawrap Parka and a patagonia Down sweater and smartwool long john bottoms.
That was definitely pushing it when the temps dropped into the mid twenties and I am a warm sleeper.
That zero degree bag might be a better option for a March 1st start.
1447814479
Hmmm, Thinking i might wait till the middle of the month then ... is there more of a crowd around the march 15th dates ... that was my original date till i moved it up .. didn't think it was gonna be that cold ... and now that i'm solo, brother bailed on me i'm alittle more cautious i think ...
Hmmm, Thinking i might wait till the middle of the month then ... is there more of a crowd around the march 15th dates ... that was my original date till i moved it up .. didn't think it was gonna be that cold ... and now that i'm solo, brother bailed on me i'm alittle more cautious i think ...
The Saint's hostel was definitely crowded when i got there to begin my hike on the 14th.
The wierd thing is that in the morning all the other hikers went up to start on Springer and I went to Amicalola.
I passed them at 3pm near a shelter and never saw them again.
The word "crowd" is a relative thing. If you like to hike early and late and use a tarp or tent instead of shelters you will have a different experience.
I would usually hike until dark and crash in a stealth camp somewhere between shelters.
That meant I did not see a lot of people till about noon each day until 4 pm. 4pm is when a lot of hikers seem to stop at the shelters.
I often would stop in for dinner, socialize and then hike on. The late afternoon i had the AT all to myself.
So you can have it anyway you want really.
I never found the AT to be the crowded place i had heard it would be starting on March 15th.
When i wanted company I just stopped in to a shelter.
When i wanted to be alone i stealth camped.
Blissful
11-28-2011, 23:33
Be prepared for both 70 degrees and single digits.
I had both.
Blissful
11-28-2011, 23:34
Hmmm, Thinking i might wait till the middle of the month then ... is there more of a crowd around the march 15th dates ... that was my original date till i moved it up .. didn't think it was gonna be that cold ... and now that i'm solo, brother bailed on me i'm alittle more cautious i think ...
It will still be cold. And you can get snow in April. Doesn't much matter.
The Saint's hostel was definitely crowded when i got there to begin my hike on the 14th.
The wierd thing is that in the morning all the other hikers went up to start on Springer and I went to Amicalola.
I passed them at 3pm near a shelter and never saw them again.
The word "crowd" is a relative thing. If you like to hike early and late and use a tarp or tent instead of shelters you will have a different experience.
I would usually hike until dark and crash in a stealth camp somewhere between shelters.
That meant I did not see a lot of people till about noon each day until 4 pm. 4pm is when a lot of hikers seem to stop at the shelters.
I often would stop in for dinner, socialize and then hike on. The late afternoon i had the AT all to myself.
So you can have it anyway you want really.
I never found the AT to be the crowded place i had heard it would be starting on March 15th.
When i wanted company I just stopped in to a shelter.
When i wanted to be alone i stealth camped.
Honestly, you should like you hike like i do .... thats exactly what i do .. i'm not anti-social by any means ... but i just have this thing against shelters ... lol .. I slept in one right before duncanon pa ... had a porcupine problem .. but NO campsites ... that was rather unpleasant ... but i've seen some shelters that i've passed that i would sleep in ... PA has some nice ones, and some realllll ****ty ones.
It will still be cold. And you can get snow in April. Doesn't much matter.
So your advice is what a few others have said, pick a date ... and go. I could be in a various twist of scenarios regardlesss of date. =)
SweetAss03
11-29-2011, 00:28
I second the be ready for cold to include some snow but also some sunny days which means bring some sun block. There will be no leaves on the trees until late April and you will get sunburned quickly if you aren't ready. Major over night snow is possible but generally more so in the Smokies area. Have fun and enjoy yourself.
Feral Bill
11-29-2011, 00:33
Hmmm, Thinking i might wait till the middle of the month then ... is there more of a crowd around the march 15th dates ... that was my original date till i moved it up .. didn't think it was gonna be that cold ... and now that i'm solo, brother bailed on me i'm alittle more cautious i think ... Wise attitude.
Start a few days after 1 April, and hike into trail days!
stranger
11-29-2011, 02:06
Unless you expect to take 7 months to hike the trail, I don't see the point in starting in early March. Starting 1 March say instead of 15 April means 6 more 'weeks' of potentially cold weather then you need to have to deal with. Even leaving in late April gives you 5.5 months to get to Katahdin, then there is always the flip if things go slower than anticipated. Starting in early March on a bad year means alot of snow and cold rain - I would leave mid-late April and avoid most, not all, of the cold...I would rather deal with cold at the end than at the beginning.
Cold doesn't bother me, in fact ... i love hiking in it ... its more or less the cold rain and snow i wanna minimize ... so i think i'll compromise alittle, march 20th for a springer summit .. If i need to screw off alittle to see the new england colors i will ... i'm in no hurry ... but i agree march 1st is too early ... i think march 20th will be perfect.
johnnybgood
11-29-2011, 06:47
I'm also thinking the third week of March is a good choice. Not that there won't be icy cold conditions , but the chance of it decreases.
The weather in March is often fickle .
Good Luck !
Well, lets say i wanted to see those colors change in new england and maine ... what date should i shoot for? .. or i could just take ya know, 30 zero's in 90 days and even it out .. =P lol .. seriously tho, thats something i'd like to see ...
Columbus Day (early October) is traditional "leaf peeping" season in New England. That is usually when leaves are at their peak in the greatest variety of altitudes here in New England. The trees in northern New England usually begin to change at the end of August and get better the closer you get to October. In the highest elevations the leaves will already be down by Columbus Day, but that's not where the best colors are, anyway. Up high the brightest colors will come from birches and mountain ash (gold and red). The big draw is the maples, which is a bottomland tree, though seeing them in all their hues from a high peak is every bit as good as walking among them.
Columbus Day (early October) is traditional "leaf peeping" season in New England. That is usually when leaves are at their peak in the greatest variety of altitudes here in New England. The trees in northern New England usually begin to change at the end of August and get better the closer you get to October.
Assuming a 172 day thru, I'd estimate that a 20 March start would get one to NH around 5 Aug, and Katahdin around 8 Sep. Delaying one's start to 5 Apr would get one to NH around 20 Aug, and Katahdin around 24 Sept.
Mary has developed gallbladder issues, and was waffling on going before that. I've been thinking of delaying my start in order to help get the house and yard ready for spring. 5 April is mid-week, so crowds should be at a minimum, timing would be good to stumble directly into Damascus for trail days, and leaf peeping would be better than my original 20 Mar start. You know, assuming everything goes as planned ...
EarlyBird2007
11-29-2011, 13:10
I see you live in Bethlehem, PA. I live near Harrisburg. My answer is simple. Plan for the same sort of weather you'd expect in PA at the same time. Could be very cold, lots of snow or cold rain. If you are very lucky, maybe 50s and 60s and clear. Some folks who've not done the AT in GA think the weather should be nice, since it is, after all, Georgia. But, this is THE MOUNTAINS IN GA AT 4,000 TO 5,000 FEET. Much different than, say, Atlanta. Plan for the same weather you might get in late winter in PA. Best of luck.
Early Bird GA->ME 2007
I started Feb 27th last year. The one thing I haven't read about in replies so far (I think) is wind. There was quite a bit of cold wind in Georgia and in TN/NC in the early part, so it's good to have clothing that allows you to walk without too much discomfort in that. Ditto comments about temps down into the teens. I use trail runners, not boots, but I think everyone had some experience of putting feet into frozen footwear a time or two. The south was hammered harder than usual by snow and so there were lots of blowdowns as well.
All that said, I'm glad that I went when I did. I rarely used my tent on the whole trip (almost always shelter space available), and it was nice to finish in July. The relatively fewer people out (still quite a number) were great folks to get to know. No worries about getting space at a hostel or a motel room, could usually do laundry right away, that sort of thing. Nothing earth-shattering, I'm sure that starting later would be a great experience too. I started early as my wife had late-summer plans (for more hiking, in fact ...).
Assuming a 172 day thru, I'd estimate that a 20 March start would get one to NH around 5 Aug, and Katahdin around 8 Sep. Delaying one's start to 5 Apr would get one to NH around 20 Aug, and Katahdin around 24 Sept.
Mary has developed gallbladder issues, and was waffling on going before that. I've been thinking of delaying my start in order to help get the house and yard ready for spring. 5 April is mid-week, so crowds should be at a minimum, timing would be good to stumble directly into Damascus for trail days, and leaf peeping would be better than my original 20 Mar start. You know, assuming everything goes as planned ...
Since i'm alone, and the history along the trail ... i'm not sure how to base my time spent ... i know i'm a trail first, resupply and back on trail kinda guy ... but if i see places of interest within distance, i'm gonna go see a museam or or art exhibit ... I don't know ... i'm gonna stick with march 20th i think ... Like i said, i can make up that 2 weeks for peak season if i'm coming up to new england and just take extra zeros or lower miles .... even mid aug doesn't sound bad to me ... gotta make up my mind and set reservations ... would like to do that today.
Oh hell, you want a color tour? Just haul ass up to Katahdyn, then bop over and do the Long Trail sobo! What's another month or so?
Oh hell, you want a color tour? Just haul ass up to Katahdyn, then bop over and do the Long Trail sobo! What's another month or so?
PERFECT! I already told the wife once i hit katahdyn, don't be surprised if i just turn around and walk back to PA ...
double d
11-29-2011, 16:09
Darkage, I like your planning, you're keeping an open mind and taking in the information as it comes, thats good. One thing to think of: more calories are burned during cold weather then in warmer weather (yes: lots of variables, like the average miles hiked each day, temp.changes, elevation gain/loss) but.....your body will usually burn more calories per day to keep warm, so keep that in mind to all of the other advice you are getting. Good luck to you on your hike next spring!
Pretty much what everyone else said is about right. I started on March 3rd in 2011 and had real cold temps and also mid 60s. I carried a zero degree bag and definitely was glad that I had it on some of the colder nights. A bit of snow in NC but not too much. I got super lucky and had mid 60s all through GSMNP, but groups both before me and ahead of me had some serious snow. There was still slush and some ice around Clingmans but it was beautiful when I went through. For me, March 3rd was the perfect start date. I was definitely in the thick of the thrus towards the beginning but it thinned out in southern VA. Switched to my 40 degree bag in Pearisburg, VA and was perfect from then on. I finished July 19th (approx 4 1/2 months at around 17MPD) and missed the fall foliage, but slowing down is always an option =) Also have to consider going through PA at a later date and the potential lack of water and absurd heat. For me this year the trail in PA was flowing most of the time as I hit 10 straight days of rain. In short: start March 3rd, prepare for cold and snow...and cold rain (had several days of those) but be pleasantly surprised if the weather is nice and warm!
The good news is, I live in PA ... and i've hiked it all .. but i will again on my thru, i won't skip it just cause i've done it .. but i hike this section whenever i get a chance which is normally twice a month for 3-4 days in a row ... so i'm used to the heat and rocks ... Flat trails i zoom zoom and often get bored cause i'm not dodging or keeping my head tilted so i don't trip. =)